The Kiss From a Dragon

by C. D. Pennington

“As you say. But I cannot take that chance. It will not be long before someone realises you are missing and comes looking. After the incident at the inn, this is the first place they will look. Every day I keep you here, the bigger the risk I am taking.”

  “Please, I promise,” she begged. Jana realised he had figured out exactly what she had been thinking herself.

  “I wish I could believe you,” Pelan gave her another drink. “But I need to be certain. And the only way I can be certain is to send you away.”

  “No…please…” Jana squirmed, fearing the worst.

  “I am sorry. I really did not mean for this to happen this way. But it has, and there is nothing anyone can do about it now. Least of all your friend.”

  The thought of Alleran made Jana sad again, and she began to weep. “What are you going to do with me?” she sobbed.

  “You are going on a little trip to a lovely little island,” he said in a cheery voice. “It won’t be long. But for now, I’m afraid you will have to stay here a little longer.” His eyes narrowed. “Be a good girl.”

  Jana was shocked at his sudden change of tone. “No!” she cried as he held the gag aloft once more. “No, please! I beg y-” he cut her pleas off abruptly by yanking back her hair and shoving the gag back in her mouth. She cried and struggled, but it was no use. Her screams yet again turned to muffles as she convulsed her body uselessly.

  “Try not to struggle. It will only hurt more,” Pelan said coldly before turning from her and climbing the ladder, leaving her in almost pitch darkness once more.

  Sobbing and moaning, she let her body drop to the floor before making another futile attempt to wriggle and thrash herself free, but he was right. It only hurt her more as the ropes held firm. She was weak from lack of food and dehydration despite the meagre offering she had just been given. Her arms and legs hurt from the ropes, but it was her wrists and ankles that suffered more from her previous attempts to free herself. She was sore and bruised, humiliated and ashamed, frustrated and angry. And she was still tied up helplessly on the floor of her makeshift prison.

  When she finally ended her useless struggles against the ropes, she thought more about his comments. An island? Where? She was not aware of any island around Evorene, so what could this mean? What did they have in store for her? Maybe it’s a prison. But she had done nothing wrong, why would she be incarcerated? If anyone should be held in prison, it was her captors. Murderers.

  Jana knew not how much longer she would be kept down here, but if Pelan was telling the truth, then at least she may well be alive when she does finally leave. She lay on the floor in as comfortable a position as her bonds would allow, and closed her eyes.

  Jana thought of Cerana and Esteri, and Alleran. Poor Alleran.

  Behind her back, she intertwined her fingers and began to pray. Not to the gods, but to her sister.

  Please Cerana, hear my plea. I fear I may never see you and Esteri again, my darling sisters. I love you both so much. How did we end up like this?

  Please, find me. I beg you. You are my only hope.

  CHAPTER 25 – A Dangerous Encounter

  There were several things in Cerana Proudstone’s life at the moment that did not make any sense. The latest being the encounter with the tall, mysterious beauty at the edge of the crater. One minute she was on a ledge, next she was right behind her. One minute she was right in front of her, next she had disappeared altogether. And how the hell did she know my sister and me? Cerana’s mind was spinning as Winter trotted out of the forest towards the Mallam Mountains.

  Cerana would have stayed at the crater longer had there not been another pressing engagement she needed to attend to, which she deemed currently to be of higher priority. Something was intriguing about the woman she had just met – and she swore that it was the first time they had met. Surely she would have remembered ever crossing paths with such a unique woman before?

  Right now, her priority was to find Jana - or attempt to at the least. The crater would wait; she knew where it was now, and she could find it again when she had more time. There could well be a lead there with the woman, but what was the link between her and Esteri? Did she know something that could help her? The questions came to her thick and fast, and she had not one answer to any of them. But she was determined to find out.

  The rain had stopped, and as the forest grew thinner towards its outer edge. Cerana could see that the day had improved, with the sun threatening to shine through the retreating cover of cloud.

  Cerana spent the next few hours scouring the length of the mountain range, starting up in the north where she had exited the forest, and making her way south then south-west towards the village of Mallam. She could not possibly cover the entire mountain range, so she searched along its outer edge. She seemed to recall Alleran mentioning the flowers they sought grew at the base of the mountains, so Cerana figured they would not have ventured any deeper unless they absolutely had to. The problem was, Cerana did not know one flower from another, not that there were many to chose from in the desolate mountain range.

  Instead of wondering if each plant she did manage to find might have been frostbloom, Cerana stuck to searching for other clues. Footprints, hoofprints, any sort of prints – but there were none: no signs, no clues, nothing. Frustration growing, she pressed on.

  When she came to the southernmost tip of the range, she turned west and arrived at the area where she guessed they would have come to first, had they followed the path directly from Barnesbay. Cerana took extra care in this area, dismounting from Winter and pulling her along by her reins to get a closer look at the ground. But still, there was nothing. Cerana sighed and looked around her at the colossal expanse of rock and open land. There was so much to search, so many places they could have gone - if they ever got here at all. Her frustration was growing further.

  Her thorough search of the area resulted in nought. She figured she could spend a week looking around these mountains and still not cover it all. Her task was folly unless pure blind luck came her way – and she had not had much of that lately.

  She could not spend all her time here, and the most likely place for clues had come to nothing. So she decided to head for the village, where she knew there were at least a couple of inns she could ask in. Mounting Winter once more, she followed the southern edge of the mountain range, heading west to Mallam village but all the time scouring for clues.

  She reached the village with no more answers than she left Barnesbay with, at least concerning Jana’s whereabouts. But she had gained a few more questions after her encounter with the silken-clad beauty. The first inn she came to had its own stable which seemed to be unattended, so she tethered Winter, who immediately began munching at some straw on the ground. Cerana walked round and entered The White Horse Inn.

  The inn was quiet as she entered, no more than ten or twelve patrons who milled around the bar or at small tables scattered around the floor area. Cerana looked around as she made her way through the bar, realising most of the patrons were staring at her, which added to her general unease. She kept her eyes forward and made for the long bar, behind which a plump, friendly-looking woman was drying an ale tankard with a linen towel.

  “Good day, love. What can I get for you today?” the barmaid asked.

  “Good day to you,” Cerana replied. “I wonder if you may be able to help me. I am looking for two missing persons - my sister and her travelling companion. They were headed this way some time ago and have not returned.”

  “Missing, you say?” the barmaid said, frowning. “That’s bad news. We get lots of folk in here, love. Difficult to remember all of them, but tell us about it, and I’ll see what I can do.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate the help. My sister is called Jana, and she’s a couple of years y-”

  “Jana?” the barmaid interrupted. “Dark hair, your age, pretty little thing?”

  “That’s her!” Cerana perked up excitedly.

  “And the man - tall, wiry hair? Bi
t of a looker ‘imself?”

  “Yes! Alleran! They were here?” Cerana’s hopes grew.

  “Aye, a few days afore. Remember it well now. They caused quite a stir in here. Got talking to Jana, real good girl she is. I’m El, by the way. I own this place.”

  “Cerana Proudstone. Thank you, El. What happened, you said there was a stir?” Cerana asked, her eagerness apparent.

  “She copped a feel from that Corr lad, scumbag he is. Almost had a riot on in here,” El explained.

  “Oh, I’m sorry?” Cerana’s perplexed face must have shown.

  “He groped her, love. Put ‘is filthy hands on her. The boys didn’t take kindly to it, so they took ‘em both outside and gave ‘em a clout.”

  “Both?” Cerana asked.

  “Aye, his brother too,” said El. “Haven’t seen ‘em since. Mind you, I did tell ‘em not to bother coming here again, mind.”

  “When exactly was this?”

  “Oh, three, four days ago? Something like that. Me memory ain’t what it was, love.”

  “That sounds right,” Cerana said. “Has she been back since? Or Alleran?”

  “Afraid not love. They left early next morning.”

  “Did they say where they were heading?”

  “Sorry love, no. And if they did, I don’t remember.”

  “The two men you spoke of,” Cerana continued. “They are trouble?”

  “Aye, buggers they are. Not been round ‘ere long neither.” El suddenly gasped and put her hands over her mouth. “Oh! Dear gods, surely they wouldn’t have…”

  Cerana was beginning to think the same thing. So they had been here, but left after a fight with the two men. “El, do you know where they live? I have a bad feeling about this.”

  “Bobby!” El yelled across the bar. “Them Corr lads, where they holed up, you know?”

  Bobby was swigging ale from a large tankard. He downed his pot and wiped his bearded face with his sleeve. “Aye, they’re in that old farm Blind Bill used t’ own,” Bobby said in a deep, husky voice. He was a big man with a bulbous nose and red cheeks. “Took it over when Bill snuffed it, been there since.”

  El turned back to Cerana. “I can tell you the way, love. Best be careful, mind. Want me to send some of the boys round with ya?”

  “No, thank you. I just want to talk to them, no trouble. Chances are they won’t have seen them anyway.” Cerana was hopeful, though, but she did not want to alarm anyone by taking a mob with her. She wanted to do this her way. El described the way to the farmstead - it was not far, so Cerana thanked her and Bobby and made for the exit.

  “Good luck, love!” El called after her. “Hope you find ‘em, and come back see us when you do!”

  Cerana did not look back; she was too focused. She finally had a lead, and although she was trying not to get her hopes up, it was at least something she could go on. Returning to the stables, Winter whinnied at her and rose from her squat. The stables were still unattended, so Cerana left two silver pieces on the shelf by some bridle gear to pay for Winter’s meal. A spring in her step again, Cerana deftly climbed on the mare’s back, and they took off swiftly in search of the farmstead.

  It did not take Cerana long to reach the dwelling, as El had rightly advised. It was situated north-west of the main village, and El’s directions proved to be accurate. Cerana had to travel through a small wood before the farmstead came into view, and for a while, she was concerned of getting lost, but the wood was far smaller than the last she had entered, and she quickly came to its edge.

  She stopped just before the trees ended and the land opened out into an overgrown and somewhat neglected farm. An old, battered fence with several posts missing acted as a perimeter to the dwelling, which consisted of what appeared to be a two-storey farmhouse and a large barn roughly a hundred yards from the house. Cerana had tethered Winter’s reins to a tree further back in the woods and continued to the clearing on foot, hoping to go undetected so she could scout the area. El had advised these were dangerous men, so if there were to be clues here as to Jana’s disappearance, Cerana would need to act swiftly and carefully. She sought cover behind a large tree trunk and surveyed the grounds, watching for signs of the Corrs.

  From her vantage point of about two hundred yards from the house, she watched and listened for near enough an hour. The sun was beginning to descend, and the evening was drawing in. Cerana had not seen or heard a thing during her vigil; there was no movement from the house windows and no sign of anyone around. It seemed to Cerana that the whole place was uninhabited. Still, El’s directions and description of the area led to this very place, so Cerana could only assume the Corrs were either out, or somewhere in the house, unmoving.

  Cerana decided that she would see if anyone was in, and try to find out what she could about any involvement they may or may not have had with Jana’s disappearance. Desperate for news of Jana’s whereabouts, Cerana was anxious about what she may find out from these men, but she realised that it was possible they could offer her no help at all. This was her only lead, though, but it was a long shot at best. She left the cover of her tree and strode purposefully towards the farmhouse.

  The door to the house required a little care - the faded blue paint was cracked and peeling in places, and missing altogether in patches. She knocked three times. Cerana waited and listened at the door, but no-one answered, and no noises could be heard inside. She knocked again, louder this time. Still nothing. Holding her breath, she lifted the iron ring on the door and gently pushed, but it was locked from inside. No-one is at home, she thought.

  She moved to a downstairs front window and peered in, but thick curtains inside blocked any view. As she moved around the side of the house, all the downstairs windows were curtained, which she thought odd as it was yet to get dark. This place is deserted, she thought again. The farm had no livestock, no crops. It was overgrown and shabby. Curtains up during the day. Surely this cannot be the right place?

  Cerana left the house and walked towards the barn, which seemed to be in relatively good shape compared to the rest of the estate. The huge double doors at the front of the barn were closed and secured by a length of wood passing through iron brackets on each door. Cerana half expected the wood to be nailed to the doors, but it came away as she pushed it upwards. She had almost lifted the heavy block off when she dropped it back in place as the shouting startled her.

  “Oi! Get away from there, you!” A small, scruffy man was running towards her from the direction of the house.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude,” she said, heart thumping.

  “Could o’ fooled me! Who are ya, snoopin’ around ‘ere?” the small man spat.

  “I am looking for my .….friends. I think you may have met them a few days past.” Cerana did not want to make it known she was Jana’s sister, just in case something was going on here.

  “Dunno what you talkin’ about. Get away from there,” he answered, too quickly for her liking.

  “What is going on here?” another voice said, and Cerana saw a second, stocky man approaching, again from the direction of the house. “Who are you?” he demanded.

  “I am looking for missing friends, sir. I seek the Corrs for their help.”

  He eyed her suspiciously. Cerana turned slightly to her side, attempting to conceal her dagger from their view. She pulled her cloak in front of her leg, covering the weapon.

  “I am Pelan Corr,” he replied curtly. “And you did not answer my question. Who are you?”

  “My name is Cerana. My friends went missing several days ago. I believe you may have been some of the last to see them.”

  “Come away from the barn,” he ordered. Cerana walked with him towards the house. “Who are these friends you speak of?”

  “A young woman and her travelling companion.” Cerana had to be careful about how she worded her next statement. “I think you met them at the village inn, a few nights past. There was a…..disturbance.”

  “Nowt to d
o wi’ us,” the small man sneered.

  “Shut it,” Pelan ordered, glowering at his brother. “Yes, we did see a man and woman at the inn last time we went. But we left, and have not been back since. That was the only time we saw them. Now if you’ll excuse us, we have to be going. Please get off my land.”

  “Please, sir. I -”

  “I am sorry I cannot help you further, miss. There is nothing more I can tell you. Now please, leave.”

  This was going nowhere, Cerana realised. She dare not antagonise this man any further; he had a menacing demeanour and looked like he was ready to snap at any moment. “As you wish. I thank you for your time.” Cerana nodded her head at Pelan and turned to Tavlor, who was staring at her and licking his lips. She turned and walked towards the woods from which she came, not looking back.

  When she was out of hearing distance, Pelan whispered to his brother, “Follow her. Make sure she leaves.”

  Tavlor snarled and walked away. When he saw Cerana enter the woods, he darted towards the trees.

  CHAPTER 26 – Suspicions

  Cerana was suspicious. Although the bigger of the two brothers – Pelan, if she recalled - seemed calm enough, there was just something not right about the encounter. Suddenly appearing out of nowhere, the two men had not wanted her anywhere near the barn. Could it be that Jana and Alleran were being held in the barn? They wanted to be rid of her quick enough, and were unwilling to offer any real assistance in her search. She already knew about the altercation at the inn, which they conveniently appeared to have forgotten about.

  If there was foul play here – and her suspicions were growing - she needed to investigate further.

  Instead of making her way to where she left Winter, she walked the short distance back to the narrow pathway she left just before the edge of the wood. She suspected that her exit might well be monitored, so she held her breath and walked as quietly as the floor of the forest would allow.

  Sure enough, she soon heard the quiet but unmistakable snap of a small branch behind her.